I know this has come up before but I want to attempt to breed shrimp for profit. I have a 5.5gal tank and have room for 2 more for a total of three 5.5gal tanks. If I got heaters for all of them and sponge filters for all the tanks, could this be done? What do I need besides heaters,filters, and plants? What species would be prime for this? Can you make money from this? If I figure the 5.5gal tanks are $12 each plus the heaters and filters its only around $100 give or take.
Breeding shrimp for profit?
- Thread starter newbie breeder
- Start date
if you keep it up long enough and not have die offs you can though i find 10 gallons or more a lot more useful.
Whether or not you make a profit varies on several factors, such as what value do you place on your time? If you value your time at a figure on both sides of a decimal point then the chances of making a profit are slim and none and Slim left town. If however you want to offset some of the cost of your hobby then it could work but MGamer is right about the 10 as well.
I used to breed and sell shrimp, for profit. I didn't sell much to individuals though. I produced thousands and sold them to fish and pet stores. If you calculate the cost of keeping your tanks going, it will take a long time to reach the point where you make a profit. Also, three tanks, even 10g tanks are not going to produce the quantities to be a reliable source of income. From what I understand, most people who sell here make enough to keep their aquatic addiction 
going. Some may be making more, but I doubt that it would be enough to require filing taxes and getting a business license.
FYI, you don't need to spend large amounts of money on aquariums. I used large heavy duty plastic tubs for nursery/grow out tanks. If you, or anyone wants to go that route, here's how I set them up.
The idea is to keep the temporary nursery tanks sparse, economical, and consistently cycled. To do this I introduced mystery snails to the tubs, put a few handfuls of ceramic ring/tube filter media that had been in healthy cycled tanks, a few sponge filters and kept them in a room with consistent temps in the high 70's. When I was ready, I just took a berried female and floated her in a breeder cage. This way I could get multiple broods in one tank, of the same approximate age. I raised the shrimp (Macrobrachium shrimp) until they were over a 1/2". Then I sold them off in bunches of ~500 or so. Since the tanks had no substrate, I could quickly scoop out the filter media then vacuum up the young shrimp with a siphon. I had four tubs going at all times, and another one cycled, if needed. I designed the system so that I could ramp it up, if someone wanted more. I had 12 tanks with breeding adults, one male to two females. I found that with that configuration I constantly had berried females. When shrimp were hatched in a breeding tank, I moved them, as I could, to one of two larger communal tanks. I sold shrimp from those online to other hobbyists.
going. Some may be making more, but I doubt that it would be enough to require filing taxes and getting a business license. FYI, you don't need to spend large amounts of money on aquariums. I used large heavy duty plastic tubs for nursery/grow out tanks. If you, or anyone wants to go that route, here's how I set them up.
The idea is to keep the temporary nursery tanks sparse, economical, and consistently cycled. To do this I introduced mystery snails to the tubs, put a few handfuls of ceramic ring/tube filter media that had been in healthy cycled tanks, a few sponge filters and kept them in a room with consistent temps in the high 70's. When I was ready, I just took a berried female and floated her in a breeder cage. This way I could get multiple broods in one tank, of the same approximate age. I raised the shrimp (Macrobrachium shrimp) until they were over a 1/2". Then I sold them off in bunches of ~500 or so. Since the tanks had no substrate, I could quickly scoop out the filter media then vacuum up the young shrimp with a siphon. I had four tubs going at all times, and another one cycled, if needed. I designed the system so that I could ramp it up, if someone wanted more. I had 12 tanks with breeding adults, one male to two females. I found that with that configuration I constantly had berried females. When shrimp were hatched in a breeding tank, I moved them, as I could, to one of two larger communal tanks. I sold shrimp from those online to other hobbyists.
What's the best species? I know RCS are always popular but fetch only $1-$1.50 and wholesale way less....Yellow shrimp and blue are popular I see. I'm picking up a 5.5 tomorrow so what shrimp do I start with and how many?
the more you start with the faster you will have babies but the more you have to make up to break even.
I'm starting my project with a 10gal, I just ordered 15 Taiwan Fire Shrimp and Berried red Rili, I know that the TFS and the Rilli will interbred but since it was berried I just went for it anyway. Tank has been filtered for over a month. It's bare bottom now but I'm going to get either white or black sand. Thinking Black. I have some Java Moss as well.